Heatstroke
by p10shaggamagga
Summary: The Doctor and Rose head to the Powell Estate to talk to Rose's mother but when she tells them about disappearances over in South Africa, the Doctor can't help but take a look. On the South African plains, an unusual enemy awaits and one that the Doctor has encountered before with Ace.
1. Chapter 1

**TWO**

The Doctor rapidly began pressing buttons as he persistently dived around the console and also flicked a few levers.

'Rose,' he called his friend and so she came from one of the many TARDIS doors and stood there with her arms folded, staring at the Doctor with a slight grin. 'The Quantum Stabaliser needs to be lifted up quickly but I'm over here working on the Vortex Wedge. Quick, lift it!'

'The what?' Rose approached the TARDIS console, wondering why it was shaking so much.

'The big blue one,' the Doctor shouted without meaning to as he began to get stressed. 'Talk about dumbing it down!'

Rose did as she was told and the Quantum Stabaliser was lifted violently and the TARDIS came to a sudden stop making both the Doctor and Rose fall to the floor of the magical blue machine and they both laughed in unison. The Doctor walked over to his blonde female companion and helped her up so to thank him she smiled at him.

'What just happened?' Rose said, sitting down on the TARDIS seat.

'There was a disturbance in the High Hoardes of Jaglaposian 3 which then interfered with the navigation system of the TARDIS, thus causing for us to fall through a rip in time.'

'Will this do?' Rose asked her friend a question and seemed dismissive of the Doctor's explanation.

'What for?'

'For the place you're taking me.'

The Doctor stared down at her boots, blue jeans and dark jacket with a few badges on.

'For the mighty Halls of Hypogrophia I think they may be a bit too bright.'

Rose didn't really know what he meant by that but she didn't really care and the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and looked at Rose's jacket and though that it reminded him of someone else.

'That looks a little like Ace's jacket,' the Doctor stared back at her as she exited the machine and so she through it back in the TARDIS after taking it off, much to the Doctor's dismay.

'I don't know that is but I am not wearing something that's...'

She paused for a moment as she looked around and instead of seeing white gallery walls and exorbitant rare paintings like the Doctor promised her, she saw a stretch of green with a children's play park stuck on top of it and numerous blocks of flats in the distance.

'Hang on a minute, this is the Powell Estate,' Rose hissed like a viper, now standing beside the Doctor in her blue t-shirt.

'So it is,' the Doctor felt a little embarrassed. 'Obviously the navigation system has packed up completely. Most likely caused by the rip in time we fell through.'

'Or you're just getting terrible at flying the TARDIS,' Rose laughed and came up with an idea. 'Well seeing as we're at my homeplace, we may as well go speak to my mum.'

Jackie Tyler twisted the bathroom tap and the water stopped pouring into the white bath and then she heard a knock at the door.

Sighing, she walked over to it and opened it viciously, expecting to see the postman with another bill for her to pay but when she saw Rose and the Doctor standing there she hugged her daughter tight and the Doctor made a grimace.

'Oh I have missed you,' Jackie's voice spoke and she looked very pleased to see Rose standing there. 'What have you been up to?'

'Not much actually,' Rose lied to her mother as she walked inside the flat so she didn't have to spend ages explaining what she had been doing. 'Been out of adventure for a while.'

'Well here's an adventure for you,' Jackie said as she sat down in her living room armchair with a pink dressing gown on with fluffy slippers. 'I need some milk so you can go to the shop.'

Rose giggled and sat down opposite her and the Doctor sat beside her as a result. He noticed a celebrity gossip magazine on the transparent coffee table and so pulled a face but Jackie noticed him do this yet she didn't say anything.'

'Anything happened in the news?' Rose sat back in her seat, getting comfy.

'No,' Jackie exhaled loudly. 'Global warming on the rise, gas prices increasing, the usual. Although there were those disappearances in South Africa about a month ago.'

'Disappearances?' the Doctor became a lot more interested in the conversation.

'Yeah. Some British students vanished in some South African plain land. The area was called Pennhanth Plains or something like that.'

'Then off we go,' the Doctor smiled and ran out of the living room and out of the flats so Rose sighed, hugged her mum and followed after him.

The Doctor stepped inside the TARDIS but left one of the doors open for Rose and in stepped Rose, folding her arms after she shut the door and she could hear the machine dematerealising.

'We were meant to be going to some alien halls.'

'Yeah but Rose, disappearances in South Africa. I wouldn't miss this for the world.'


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

The Doctor rapidly began pressing buttons as he persistently dived around the console and also flicked a few levers.

'Rose,' he called his friend and so she came from one of the many TARDIS doors and stood there with her arms folded, staring at the Doctor with a slight grin. 'The Quantum Stabaliser needs to be lifted up quickly but I'm over here working on the Vortex Wedge. Quick, lift it!'

'The what?' Rose approached the TARDIS console, wondering why it was shaking so much.

'The big blue one,' the Doctor shouted without meaning to as he began to get stressed. 'Talk about dumbing it down!'

Rose did as she was told and the Quantum Stabaliser was lifted violently and the TARDIS came to a sudden stop making both the Doctor and Rose fall to the floor of the magical blue machine and they both laughed in unison. The Doctor walked over to his blonde female companion and helped her up so to thank him she smiled at him.

'What just happened?' Rose said, sitting down on the TARDIS seat.

'There was a disturbance in the High Hoardes of Jaglaposian 3 which then interfered with the navigation system of the TARDIS, thus causing for us to fall through a rip in time.'

'Will this do?' Rose asked her friend a question and seemed dismissive of the Doctor's explanation.

'What for?'

'For the place you're taking me.'

The Doctor stared down at her boots, blue jeans and dark jacket with a few badges on.

'For the mighty Halls of Hypogrophia I think they may be a bit too bright.'

Rose didn't really know what he meant by that but she didn't really care and the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and looked at Rose's jacket and though that it reminded him of someone else.

'That looks a little like Ace's jacket,' the Doctor stared back at her as she exited the machine and so she through it back in the TARDIS after taking it off, much to the Doctor's dismay.

'I don't know that is but I am not wearing something that's...'

She paused for a moment as she looked around and instead of seeing white gallery walls and exorbitant rare paintings like the Doctor promised her, she saw a stretch of green with a children's play park stuck on top of it and numerous blocks of flats in the distance.

'Hang on a minute, this is the Powell Estate,' Rose hissed like a viper, now standing beside the Doctor in her blue t-shirt.

'So it is,' the Doctor felt a little embarrassed. 'Obviously the navigation system has packed up completely. Most likely caused by the rip in time we fell through.'

'Or you're just getting terrible at flying the TARDIS,' Rose laughed and came up with an idea. 'Well seeing as we're at my homeplace, we may as well go speak to my mum.'

Jackie Tyler twisted the bathroom tap and the water stopped pouring into the white bath and then she heard a knock at the door.

Sighing, she walked over to it and opened it viciously, expecting to see the postman with another bill for her to pay but when she saw Rose and the Doctor standing there she hugged her daughter tight and the Doctor made a grimace.

'Oh I have missed you,' Jackie's voice spoke and she looked very pleased to see Rose standing there. 'What have you been up to?'

'Not much actually,' Rose lied to her mother as she walked inside the flat so she didn't have to spend ages explaining what she had been doing. 'Been out of adventure for a while.'

'Well here's an adventure for you,' Jackie said as she sat down in her living room armchair with a pink dressing gown on with fluffy slippers. 'I need some milk so you can go to the shop.'

Rose giggled and sat down opposite her and the Doctor sat beside her as a result. He noticed a celebrity gossip magazine on the transparent coffee table and so pulled a face but Jackie noticed him do this yet she didn't say anything.'

'Anything happened in the news?' Rose sat back in her seat, getting comfy.

'No,' Jackie exhaled loudly. 'Global warming on the rise, gas prices increasing, the usual. Although there were those disappearances in South Africa about a month ago.'

'Disappearances?' the Doctor became a lot more interested in the conversation.

'Yeah. Some British students vanished in some South African plain land. The area was called Pennhanth Plains or something like that.'

'Then off we go,' the Doctor smiled and ran out of the living room and out of the flats so Rose sighed, hugged her mum and followed after him.

The Doctor stepped inside the TARDIS but left one of the doors open for Rose and in stepped Rose, folding her arms after she shut the door and she could hear the machine dematerealising.

'We were meant to be going to some alien halls.'

'Yeah but Rose, disappearances in South Africa. I wouldn't miss this for the world.'


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

As the morning sun illuminated the African plains, a group of vultures were perched on a tree when all of a sudden an odd wheezing sound filled the air and they flew away as the magnificent TARDIS appeared out of nowhere and now it was fully present.

The big doors came inwards as the Doctor stepped out and felt heat hit him instantly.

'Oh this is gorgeous,' he said as he stared out at the plains of Africa which were embellished with trees and sand. 'I love South Africa. Wait until the 2010 World Cup, Rose. You'll love it!'

'We went, remember?' Rose stepped out of the blue box and closed the doors behind her, blinded by the sun. 'Is it safe to park it here?'

'What do you mean?' the Doctor turned and looked at her, puzzled.

'Well, I mean we're in the middle of the South African plains. For all we know a huge hungry hyena pack could come and kill us.'

'After all the places you've been to. Platform One, Deffry Vale High School, blitz-torn London and you're worried about some foreign hot land.'

The Doctor ushered Rose back inside and then she noticed the massive lion running towards them.

'In, in, in, in, in, in,' he pushed his companion into the TARDIS and he got in too and just in time.

'You're right,' the Doctor walked over to the console. 'It might be a lot safer to park her up somewhere a bit less hostile.

As the TARDIS re-materalised, the blue doors opened and the Doctor and Rose stepped out, staring up at a medium-sized research centre in the middle of the South African land.

'That's more like it,' smiled the Doctor walking over to the white glass doors, not noticing the lion's claw marks on his machine.

'Looks expensive,' Rose commented on the building, looking at its white exterior and even noticed two small balconies on the side of it. 'What exactly is it?'

'Looks to me like a research centre,' he knocked on the door of the building and spotted three jeeps parked near it.

The door opened and a man in about his forties answered it, dressed in cooling khaki shorts and a beige sleevless jacket.

'Can I help you?'

'I'm the Doctor and this is Rose,' the Doctor showed the man his sneaky pyshic paper. 'We're here to investigate this research centre.'

'Yes,' the man welcomed the two strangers in apprehensively. 'I imagine after the two disappearances a month ago this location has gathered interest.'

The Doctor pulled an enthusiastic face at his friend and the two time travellers entered the building.

The main room was quite small with two large windows on the wall. The fireplace hosted no flames and there were a few seats as well as a large table in the corner that had textbooks on it.

'I'm Greg Jessen and we've been working on our courses despite the vanishings. In the kitchen there's Nethaniel, Annabel and Scarlett. They're my students and I'm the university professor of Zoology.'

The three university students entered the room and introduced themselves to the guests.

'I might want a ride out into the plains,' the Doctor suggested happily, wanting to explore the plains. 'I am in charge now.'

'Of course,' Greg said. 'I'm not sure why you want to but we can happily take you out into the plains if you wish.

'Excellent,' the Doctor smirked at the four strangers and then at Rose. 'Let's go out and explore.'


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

As the bulky jeep drove along the plains of South Africa, the six people within it were moving all about the place as the joruney was a little bumpy but the Doctor didn't really mind one bit and with the midday sun shining down on the group, the jeep, despite being the roof not being up, was getting quite hot.

Rose realised the Doctor was looking out at the plains with the intention to find something.

'Have the police come out this far?' the Doctor, who was sat in the back with Rose, Nethaniel and Scarlett asked Greg, who was driving the jeep.

'Not really,' he confirmed. 'They didn't assume that they came out this far. Can't say I blame them if I'm honest because it is really far out however two jeeps went missing the night they disappeared so it's obviously the case that they got out and drove off.'

'It would appear that that would be the case,' the Doctor agreed with the university professor but then his expression widened as he noticed something odd in the near distance and Rose picked up on his change of face immediately.

As the Doctor told Greg to turn left, he did as he was instructed to and then he too spotted the large black sphere-like object in the plains and the two silver research centre jeeps were there.

All the six curious people stepped out of their selected vehicle and approached the object and the Doctor looked at it before tapping it with his shoe and the five other explorers stepped back, scared as to what would happen next but nothing did, except for the Doctor placing his leg back in the original position slowly. He carried on staring at the object.

As a bush shook behind her, Annabel turned around but didn't see anything but there was something watching her, something no longer human.

'What is it?' Rose asked, now standing beside the Doctor and she looked fearful.

'Looks to me like an alien survival pack,' said the Doctor. 'I've seen these things before. Usually when a planet is under danger, the locals send out survival packs or survival balls that contain reproductive cells, spaceship construction kits etc. The main intention is for the race to survive elsewhere.'

Rose looked at Annabel and then walked over to her and was about to question her worried expression when the Doctor suggested getting back was the safest thing to do.

Without warning, Greg saw something shaped like a human move behind a tree and then another and then another.

'We need to get in this jeep and go!' declared the Doctor and so they did as they were told and they all drove off while mysterious creatures watched them.


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

The plains of South Africa had turned from a bright land with the animals inhabiting it to a dark land as night fell and blanketed the land.

Rose Tyler was sat in the university's research centre flicking through a local nature magazine to pass the time as the Doctor was pacing up and down the main living area with his hands behind his back. Rose started to glance at him every now and then.

'There was something out on those plains,' Annabel began as she stared at the yellow carpet. 'Something not human and it wasn't an animal either.'

The Doctor ran up to her and hugged her and then looked her straight in the eye. before speaking to her.

'Annabel, listen,' he said soothingly. 'Now you are right. There was something unusual and odd out there but it's night now and I'm not letting anybody go out of the specified zone.'

'Who the hell do you think you are?' Greg sat up and looked the strange alien man in the eyes. 'This is our research project.'

'As far as I'm aware, there is something completely dangerous out there and it's not safe to be out there at night. Now listen to what I'm saying Greg and don't let anyone outside. There's something not right.'

'You're not an inspector are you?' said Greg and the Doctor smiled happily.

'Nah,' he sat down beside Rose and folded his arms. 'It is hot in here though, isn't it?'

'It's South Africa,' exclaimed Scarlett, being rude. 'Of course it's hot!'

'Right, Greg, Annabel and Scarlett,' the Doctor stood up again. 'You told me that you had been doing some research upstairs. Please come and show me. Rose, stay here and do whatever it is you humans do.'

Rose sighed as Greg, Annabel, Scarlett and the Doctor exited the room and they began walking up the elongated staircase in the downstairs corridor.

The Doctor delved deep into his pinstriped suit and pulled out a pair of black glasses and popped them on his head as he looked at the files Greg had just put in front of him.

'So there's been some odd sightings?' the Doctor questioned Scarlett.

'Yes,' she replied viciously. 'Nobody can identify them. They just seem to be these weird shadows of like humans but on closer inspection, people see non human ears on these shadows on the plain lands.'

'They look like cat ears,' the Doctor said and then all the other people in the room got the shivers.

'Right,' Rose rose. 'I am not staying in here all night. I'm off to the plains. You coming?'

'Are you crazy?' Nethaniel said as she put his zoology textbook down. 'There are evil things out there.'

'Well I'm bored out of my brains here,' she claimed and walked over to the research centre's exit doors. 'Last chance.'

'Fine,' Nethaniel succummbed to Rose's peer pressure and they walked out of the door.

As Nethaniel unlocked one of the jeeps, Rose entered the vehicle and sat down in the passenger seat, noticing the car freshner tied to the rearview mirror. Nethaniel also got in and sat in the driver's seat and as the jeep engine started up the two rebels started driving off and were consumed by the dark night.

The Doctor began walking down the stairs to tell Rose something when he realised she and Nethaniel weren't there.

The others watched as the Doctor was having a meltdown.

'What's up?' asked Annabel kindly.

'It's Rose and that Nethaniel,' declared the Doctor. 'They've gone!'

As Greg opened the exit door, he noticed that depsite there being three jeeps present this morning, there were now only two.

'One of the jeeps is missing,' he became worried for his student's safety.

'They must have took it,' the Doctor suggested as he suggested getting into a jeep himself.

'We'll come with you,' Greg said which worried the others. 'If Nethaniel and your lady friend are out there then it's up to us to help find them.'

The jeep stopped as Nethaniel and Rose stepped out and they looked at the black ball once more.

'What is it though?' Nethaniel politely asked, wanting to get a closer look.

'The Doctor said it was some kind of survival pack that aliens send out to save races and they contain sex cells and things.'

'Aliens?'

Suddenly, a loud growl filled the air and both Nethaniel and Rose jumped unintentially.

'Was that a cat?' Rose asked and she then crouched down and looked at the ball. 'What are you? Nethaniel, it's probably best if we actually got back in the...'

Rose turned around to continue her sentence directly to the student but when she did so, he was no longer there.

'Nethaniel,' she called out worringly and a terrified expression unfolded. 'Nethaniel!'

Without warning, Rose screamed as four humanoid cheetahs came from nowhere. They were all naked and look exactly like cheetahs but were in the shape of humans.

They all growled and made ferocious noises as they approached the blonde time traveller and they showcased their claws as they did so.

One of them grabbed hold of Rose and placed their paw over her mouth so she couldn't scream for help but she did managed to let out muffled cries.

As another jeep stopped, the Doctor noticed the stolen jeep but Nethaniel and Rose were gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**SIX**

'They're gone,' said the Doctor sadly as he climbed out of the vehicle. 'The jeep's here so they were here alright! But where are they now?'

The others climbed out of the jeep also and they joined the Doctor as he stared at the jeep.

Suddenly, green gunk was fired out of the black survival ball and all four explorers stared at it.

'That's a reproductive gunk,' said the Doctor with an immense amount of certainty in his voice. 'If it touches you you'll turn into an inhabitant of the planet the survival ball came from. I can make sure we don't turn.'

'How?' asked Greg sharply.

The Doctor got his sonic screwdriver and sonicked the ball and that's when the ball burst into flames and Annabel and Scarlett screamed without intention.

'Like that!' the Doctor blew his sonic scewdriver.

'Get off of me!' yelled a voice from the nearby cluster of trees and the Doctor recognised it instantly.

'Rose!'

He darted over to the cluster of trees along with the others and that's when they all hid behind a rock.

They could all see a small sort of spaceship. It was black with green pulsating lights all over it. It was only as big as an ordinary two storey house but the Doctor could see humanoid cheetahs dragging Rose and Nethaniel inside and they were both kicking and screaming.

'The Cheetah People,' the Doctor had a brainwave.

'You've seen these things before?' asked Greg.

'Yes. I once visited their planet called the Cheetah Planet and there were these humanoid cheetahs called Cheetah People but they used to be humans. I see now! The Cheetah People obviously sent the black survival ball filled with that green gunk and a spaceship construction kit so the race would survive. Question is, why are they so bad? Last time I met them they were quite innocent.'

When there were no more visible humanoid cheetahs around, the Doctor crept to the spaceship so everyone else did the same.

'How do we get in?' said Scarlett, accidentally leaning on a circular button on the exterior of the craft.

A huge door opened up and revealed a corridor with wiring on the walls and the walls were a dark purple.

'Like that,' the Doctor grinned and entered so the three university regulars looked at one another and then entered too.

'Halt!' They turned around when they were halfway through the corridor.

There stood a Cheetah Person but they were naked and had a long tail. Up close, they did look like cheetahs.

'Who are you?' it hissed. 'Never mind that. You're coming with me.'

The Doctor smiled as he walked into the main engine room and he noticed nine Cheetah People working on computers and he even noticed Rose and Nethaniel in the corner of the room and they ran up to them.

'Doctor,' Rose hugged her friend. 'These cheetah things said they're going to burn earth.'

'What?' the Doctor said and one of the cheetahs turned around wearing some earth clothes.

'Those clothes look like my friend's Xavier,' said Annabel.

'I know,' it said deviously. I'm the Cheetah Chief but actually before I was the Cheetah Chief, I believe I went by the name Xavier.'

'Oh my god,' gasped Scarlett. 'The gunk got you.'

'Yes. The Cheetah Empress here used to be Sophie Myers but we bred and produced seven cheetah children.'

'Revolting,' said Rose and she frowned so the Cheetah Empress growled at her like an angry domestic cat.

'So you're going to burn the earth?' the Doctor said. 'There's only nine of you?'

'There are only nine of us, yes,' hissed the Cheetah Chief. 'We will breed again though and we will make more Cheetah People. And yes, the Heatstroke Project aims to burn this planet while we fly off to the stars.'

'But why? Oh, wait a minute. You're feral creatures. You were new to this earth life and you lived with other cheetahs and their behaviour turned your feral.'

'Like Socialisation?' Rose thought back to her GCSE Sociology lessons.

'Exactly like socialisation,' said the Doctor. 'Feral creatures with the ultimate bloodlust and there was everything in that survival ball. Even gun making kits but it's destroyed now.'

'What?' bit the Cheetah Empress.

'I destroyed it,' said the Doctor.

'EXECUTE THEM!' cried the Cheetah Chief.

The cheetahs grabbed the nearest guns near them and held them at the group of scared people.

'Now, hang on a minute,' said the Doctor with his arms in the air. 'If you're going to try and execute someone. Don't stand them against the self-destruct machine.'

The Time Lord hero sonicked a nearby computer screen and then the room flashed a pulsating red and the Cheetah People screamed in horror.

Then, some sort of gas fired at all the cheetahs and they coughed and spluttered.

'RUN!'

The Cheetah People began firing their guns and purple rays were shot out of them.

The Doctor, Rose, Greg, Nethaniel, Annabel and Scarlett began running down the corridor again as the Cheetahs started to choke on the gas that was meant to feed them when they were babies but it was toxic to adults.

As the gargantuan spaceship door opened, the six people ran out of it rapidly and then, without warning, an immense explosion rocked the plains.

Everyone screamed as the explosion lifted them off of their feet and they crashed onto the floor and flames roared as they embellished the spacecraft.

The Doctor and Rose looked back at the burning spaceship and that was when they realised it was all over.


	7. Chapter 7

'Thanks, Doctor,' Greg hugged the spaceman and smiled afterwards. 'What do I say to Sophie and Xavier's families? I can't say that alien Cheetah People made their relatives turn into one of them and then they died due to an explosion in their spacecraft, can I?'

'Oh, I think you'll think of the right thing to say.'

It was now morning and the sun was back in the sky.

'And Rose,' Greg smiled at his companion so she smiled back and she could feel the sun on her back. 'I wish you the best on your travels. But what's going to happen inside that blue box?'

Scarlett and Annabel thanked the pair and then they walked inside the machine and shut the doors behind them.

The Doctor turned the console monitor on whilst inside and Rose joined him by the console and looked at Greg, Scarlett, Annabel and Nethaniel on the savannah.

'Let's surprise them,' said the Doctor and he flicked a switch.

As the mighty TARDIS began to wheeze and fade away, the four university buffs watched in delight and shock.

'Who were they?' questioned Nethaniel as Greg lead Scarlett, Annabel and Nethaniel back inside the research centre

'I'm not quite sure,' Greg told the truth. 'But they helped us. That's all that matters.'

Rose knocked on her mother's door and so Jackie Tyler answered it and hugged her.

'How was South Africa then?' Jackie said, wearing a zebra dress and beige boots. She also had tights on. 'I imagine you went after your disappearing act three hours ago.'

'We found out what happened to those students,' admitted Rose and she sat down in the chair opposite her mother and the Doctor sat down with her. 'I'll tell you about it once I get a cup of tea.'

Jackie sighed and giggled a little afterwards and she walked into the kitchen and the Doctor looked at Rose and smiled so she did too.


End file.
